Metal tie and rail-fastening.



No. 792,587. PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

T. A. & J. V. ENLOE. METAL TIE AND RAIL FASTENING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17, 1904.

3 SHEETSSHEET l.

PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905. T. A. & J. V. ENLOE.

METAL TIE AND RAIL FASTENING.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.17, 1904.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905. T. A. & J. V. ENLOE. METAL TIE AND RAIL FASTENING.

APPLICATION FILED SEP'LI'F, 1904.

s SHEETS-SHEET s.

5127200 and 71106 1 l- II [-ili K 1 v u D w A l r v I v 1 Nrrnn STATES Patented June 20, 1905.

PATENT @rricn.

THOMAS A. ENLOE AND JOSEPH V. ENLOE, OF PINOLE, CALIFORNIA.

METAL TIE AND RAIL-FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,557, dated June 20, 1905.

Application filed September 17, 1904. Serial No. 224,889.

To all 1071,0177 77/; may concern.-

Be it known that we, THOMAS A. ENLOE and JosaruV. ENLOE, citizens of the United States, residing at linole, in the county of Contra Costa and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metal Ties and Rail-Fastenings; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to road-bed constructions, and more particularly to a permanent form of combined cross-tie and rail-securing means; and our invention consists of certain novel features of combination and construction of parts, the preferred form whereof will be hereinafter clearly set forth and pointed out in the claim.

The prime object of our invention, among others, is to provide a permanent form of cross-tie of such character that the track-rails may not only be reliably secured in engagement therewith, but mayalso be readily adjusted to the exact position which it is desired they shall occupy when disposed in their permanent operative places.

A further object of our invention, among others, is to provide means cooperating with the cross-tie and the track-rail adapted to secure the main and guard rails in a reliable efficient manner whereby said rails will be held against spreading no matter how great the lateral strain placed thereon may be.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter clearly set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part of this application, and in which-- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a section of traclzway, showing our improved cross-tie and rail-securing devices in their respective operative positions. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a portion of the track at one end of a switchway or lateral branch of the main line. Fig. 3 is a sectional view as indicated by dotted line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. i is a sectional view as indicated by dotted line 4 i of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view as indicated by dotted line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail view, partly in section, showing the adjustable securing devices for holding the track rail or guard in an adjusted position upon the crosstie. Fig. 7 is a sectional view as taken on line 7 '7 of Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a sectional view of Fig. 2 as indicated by the dotted line 8 8.

For convenience of reference to the various details of our invention and cooperating accessories numerals will be employed, the same numeral applying to a corresponding part throughout the several views.

Referring to the numerals on the drawings, 1 designates the track-rails of the usual or any preferred construction, while 2 indicates the guard-rails, also of the usual construction, said rails being located, as is common, on supporting cross-ties.

Our improved form of cross-ties consists, essentially, of the web or vertical portion 3, the base member 4, and the top section 5, our improved tie presenting in cross-section the appearance of What is commonly designated an I-beam.

In Fig. 4: we have shown a longitudinal central section of our cross-tie, wherein it will be observed that one end is provided with an integral rail-engaging member 6, having an overhanging lip 7, designed to rest upon the base of the track-rail, while the extreme inner face of the lip 7 bears against the web of said rail, whereby the rail will be reliably held against outward movement. The opposite end of our cross-tie is provide with a cooperating adjustable rail clamp or brace 8, illustrated in detail in Fig. 6 and consisting, essentially, of a top section having an inwardlyprojecting lip 9, corresponding to the lip 7 and performing a similar oiiice namely. that of resting upon and securing the outer flange or base of the track-rail, it being understood that said clamp is disposed upon the outer end of the cross-tie.

By reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the clamp 8 is provided with a depending flange 10, each having an inwardly-projecting terminal 11 and adapted to extend under the edges of the top section or member 5, whereby the entire clamp may be readily moved longitudinally upon the cross-tie and. adjusted at any desired point thereon, whereby the lip 9 will be brought in close engagement with the outer side of the track-rail and reliably locked in an adjusted position by means of one or more strongly-formed set-screws 12, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 8. It will be understood that the set-screws 12 are properly seated in threaded apertures in one of the flanges 10, whereby the inner ends of said screws may bear against a contiguous part of the member 5, and since the inner faces of said flanges are provided with a plurality of corrugations 13, corresponding to corrugations 14 on the top section or member 5, it follows that the clamping member 8 will be very reliably locked in an adjusted position, so that it will have power to resist any strain placed upon it. Obviously it will be necessary to also brace the track-rails upon their inner side, and we therefore provide additional clamping devices or members, as designated by the numeral 15, each having a lip 16, corresponding to the overreaching lips 7 and 9, above referred to, each of the members 15 also having flanges 10 and set-screws 12, suitable inwardly-dirccted lips or terminals 11 being also formed on said flanges, as before explained. In some instances it becomes desirable to modify the clamping deviees as, for instance, in providing means for holding the guard-rail 2 in place-in which case the clamping member 17 is provided, having upon each side the outwardly-directed lips 18, each lip designed to engage either the main or guard rail base, the said member 17 having depending flanges corresponding to the flanges 10, whereby they may be secured by suitable setscrews corresponding to the set-screws 12, before referred to.

It is also obvious that our improved railclamp must be further modified to meet other requirements and situations as, for instance, at switches-as shown in Fig. 7. It is common to split the end of a rail at the beginning of a switch or lateral branch, whereby the end of said rail may lie closely in contact with the main track-rail, and in order to make it possible to move the switch-rail and main rail away from each other incident to opening the switch it becomes necessary to cut away or fashion the bottom of the switch-rail, whereby it may rest upon the base-plate 19, the inner edge of the base-plate being made very thin, while the outer edge thereof is so shaped that it will form the lip 20, adapted to rest upon the base of the main rail, and since the plate 19 is also provided with depending flanges and inwardly-directed terminals, corresponding, respectively, to the flanges and terminals 10 and 11, said plate may be reliably anchored at any desired point by suitable setscrews 12.

In Fig. 2 we have illustrated the base-plate 19 as being located beneath the prepared end of the track-rail 21, the said prepared end being split, whereby it may be placed in close contact with the track-rail 1 or moved away therefrom as desired by means of the ordinary switch mechanism commonly used for this purpose. Since only one end of our improved cross-tie is provided with the integral guard member or lip 7, it is obvious that the other end being left free will permit our tie to be readily introduced in place beneath the traclerails as, for instance, in replacing a worn-out wooden tie when it shall be desired to gradually replace or reconstruct a roadbed--thereby making it possible to place our improved metallic tie in position without any more cost for labor than would be required to introduce an ordinary wooden tie. Our form of cross-tie will be found, therefore, to be especially desirable in replacing wooden ties, and it therefore follows that since the first cost of the metal tie is but very little in excess of that of a wooden tie the entire roadbed may be gradually established or changed to one of permanent character by replacing from time to time the worthless wooden ties. It will be understood that our improved crosstie and cooperating rail-securing device may be made of any preferred metal and that when once formed and introduced into the road-bed the latter will prove of permanent and reliable character, and while we have described the preferred construction and arrangement of parts we desire to comprehend and secure in this application all substantial equivalents and substitutes that may be regarded as fairly falling within the purview of our invention.

The parts of our invention may be very cheaply and expeditiously manufactured and each assembled in its respective operative position, and believing that the advantages, construction, and manner of using our invention have thus been made clearly apparent further description is deemed unnecessary.

W hat we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A permanent form of metal cross-tie comprising a suitable base and top section properly united and having upon one end. an integral rail-engaging device 7 and upon the opposite end an adjustable clamp 8 fitting around said top member; a plurality of corrugations or frictional devices formed on the edges of said top section and means carried by the adjustable member to engage said frictional devices whereby it may be locked securely against the track-rail, an auxiliary names to this specification in the presence of securing device carried by the CIOSS-UG and two subscrihlng witnesses.

adjustably secured thereon adapted to press 1 against the inner sides of the track-rails or the guard and switch rails coiiperating therewith, all combined substantially as specified l/Vitnesses:

and for the purpose set forth. E. M. DOWNER, In testimony whereof we have signed our G. L. MARE. 

